legacycentral bbs

Looks fantastic, you must pretty well used to shifting with your left hand by now?

Looks awesome!

Thanks all for the kind words!

Omega, it's still driving, just on the other side . Once you remember that you sit in the right side of the lane and not the left, and get used to the 2-3 shift, it's easy. U-turns are a bitch though!

It actually has no front lip on it right now, as the one that was on it was actually in two pieces and fiberglassed and bondo'ed back together, and badly at that.

Furthermore, there has been a front impact at some point, as there are signs of repair on the radiator support, the A/C condenser is damaged, and the right side (driver's side) airbag sensor is MISSING... the SRS light on the dash never illuminates, not even during startup, so hopefully the bulb is just missing from the gauge cluster which I should be able to replace. Because of that, and the occasional stumble that I haven't tracked down yet, I'm trying to drive it minimally.

But the frame of the car is solid, and it drives down the road straight as an arrow. The alignment is even spot on!

On the way is a front lip, the airbag sensors (not the same as USDM unfortunately), a condenser, the factory Subaru vent visors, and an owners' manual from Japan. They were supposed to have been here already, but coming from Japan, things got delayed of course.

But it is still pretty awesome. It has the new rear multi-link suspension like the BL/BP Legacies too... again, Japan gets all the good stuff.

Oh, and with this week's test vehicle, my driveway currently looks like this:

You suck! Very nice lol!

Been really busy as always selling parts and doing other stuff to try to keep the bills paid, so not a whole lot happening with the B4, other than driving it once every couple of days so it doesn't sit.

I plan on tracking down the boost leak sometime next week. Already having a helluva time trying to find a diverter valve gasket; I took it by Forge Motorsports and they said the flange looks just like a V5 STi, which I can't find any USDM equivalent of... I got really close with the Baja Turbo, but that's a rubber gasket while mine is paper. I very well may have to make one.

I did get lucky though with the fire-suppressant insulation under the hood, as that IS the same as a Baja Turbo... the old one was coming apart and falling down.

The parts I ordered from Japan shipped out before the earthquake, so they are safe. However, the company that shipped them out was completely obliterated by the tsunami, so we don't exactly know where they are... we believe they're somewhere around Hawaii. So it may be another couple months more before I see them.

So... still... no front lip.

But I had to take this cell phone pic after I washed it the other day:

Sexy as usual

SHWING!

Well, I got my front lip fixed halfway decent to where the car is at least presentable at shows.

It made its first public appearance at the XDC drifting event at the Central Florida Racing Complex yesterday, parked in the middle of what very well may be one of the largest and most diverse collections of JDM cars in the Southeast: a 1993 Toyota Aristo, a 1990 Toyota Sera, my car, a 1992 Mazda Eunos Roadster, and a 1994 Nissan Skyline GT-R.




Finally, since I know the marketing director of XDC and the owner of the racing complex, I was able to take my car onto the track after the race for a couple pictures.

I'm continuing to develop my photography and editing skills, so the touching-up isn't perfect... but here they are.



The USDM air freshener is a rather futile attempt to remove the JDM smoke smell

oh snap, where can i get that JDM smoke smell?

Well, the B4 seems to be running better and better the more I drive it.

I took it down to Pompano Beach, FL, as my importer friend has connections with a private airline and wanted me to take pictures of the lobby and hangar for their website. That was about a 200-mile drive, and the car purred like a kitten the whole way.

Near as I can tell, it has about the same gear ratios as a 5spd 1st-gen Legacy... so it was sitting at a rather high 3500rpm at 80mph (just above 130kph). As that's smack in the middle of the primary turbo's sweet spot, my fuel mileage was pretty lousy... about 21mpg highway. The lack of cruise didn't help either.

I got the Japanese B4 brochure and also the Hyper Rev Legacy magazine ( ) on eBay UK, and I was at least able to decipher the brochure enough to know that I have a 4.111 final drive.

Finally, my longtime Subaru buddy Carlos (RenMaxi) stopped by today with his 91 turbo, while I had my car and my 2011 Legacy 3.6R test vehicle for this week.

So, again, my driveway looked like this today :

Great pics as usual, Michael. If you need any info about your car, pm YamazakiSubaru on our sister site, SL-I. He lives in japan and is the guru on these things. Plus he has the "s401" special edition STI version.

that is such a cool picture. all legacies? legaci, but completely different. its also funny to see how big and heavy they have become. what do you think about the 3.6? is it all car or does it actually perform?

Yeah, I'd like to know more about that 3.6. Stupid, but I'm starting to consider an EZ for the Dragonfly. I should still be able to manage decent mileage with the right gearing and ~7 lbs./hp has a certain appeal, plus if I want to rig up dummy exhaust stubs in the cowl with flashing LEDs to look like burning fuel in the exhaust, imitating a 12 cylinder will be easier by using the timing from a 6.

You're weird, Steve.*
DerFahrer, get any pics of your beautiful as usual car in the hanger? There's just something provocative about nice cars in empty hangers that excites me.



* a properly tuned turbo four would produce as much power and get better cruising mileage. Why put a heavier, larger displacement engine in a lightweight car designed for efficiency?

Because I don't like turbos. They have lag, generally use more fuel when on boost (and are less efficient when off due to the lower compression ratios), and are more maintenance. The lag in a lightweight vehicle that should respond to throttle inputs like a cat on fire would be frustrating to me. In my experience, turbo 4s are closer to carbed V8s for mileage than N/A 4s and where I can regularly excede the mileage ratings in N/A cars, I've yet to see turbos that do the same no matter who drives them. Weight is not a consideration because I have trouble believing there's any consequential difference in the turbo 4s favor when all the garbage that's attached to it are factored in. Turbos, intercoolers, and plumbing all add weight. It's tough to get the efficiency and the gearing balanced with the boost, but not as difficult with an N/A.

Since I am only considering a boxer engine, that would put me with a Subaru turbo 4 which is neither fuel efficient nor maintenance free. If I go with a 4 cylinder at all, it will be N/A as a little over 10 lbs./hp is still good, even better if they ever release a DI version and I can get one. I'd never put a turbo in anything I was trying to get mileage out of unless I planned on a lot of high altitude driving, but I don't fly Thunderbolts in this life and today I live on the coast. There's also the need for additional cooling with a turbo both to vent excess heat from the exhaust components and increased cooling system capacity. Being that this is a closed body vehicle, including the undercarriage (which doesn't exist in a traditional sense), and with doors to block off airflow to the radiator when not needed (the exiting air from which is ducted out to a low pressure zone at the sides), so I wouldn't want to add drag in the form of extra cooling or excess vents and cancel out my gains. I hate working on cars because I don't enjoy it and it's time I'm not building something new, writing, kayaking, riding, or even sitting on the couch drinking tea so everything chassis and drivetrain related is specced for vehicles with double the weight and more power and the electrical system will also be overbuilt with heavy gauge wire, well protected (and labelled) in a manner resembling what Grady White does with their boats and with quality connectors. I drive over 30k miles a year and change the oil every 10k miles in the Mazda with no other maintenance in 80k miles and even that is a PITA for me, so that's the level of maintenance I'm talking about. Upfront costs don't bother me if they save me time and money down the road and I can have faith in it like a deity. Also, a flat 6 should sound nicer. I'm still most likely to go N/A 4, but I'm wondering if it's worth consideration if an EZ becomes available for a reasonable price.

I'm just wondering about the engine sound and the throttle response (which I hope isn't killed by the damn electronic throttle).

Sweltering hot yesterday here in Florida, probably close to 100 degrees, and the B4 started getting a bit warm, approaching 3/4 on the temp gauge. Parked it and the main fan wasn't working at all. So I let it cool off, drove it home, and began pulling fuses and relays. Eventually, I got the fan to come back on by just fiddling with the connector (nearly took a finger off too), so figuring that out is on my agenda today.

The new Legacy is gonna be a tough one for me to review as a Subaru guy, as it is a very, very different car from the kind of Subarus I'm used to. It is a lot bigger and heavier, yes, but keep in mind, it's 11 years ahead of my car. So, even though the B4 has Bilstein struts and aluminum control arms and all that stuff, I'm gonna hafta say the new one handles better and feels more planted. And, plain and simple, the new Legacy/Outback models are really nice cars. Subarus used to put luxury and fit/finish on the back burner, but I would say the Legacy is now a nicer car than an Accord or Camry. Which is good and all, but again, the Subarus we're used to are simply no more, I'm afraid. Things change.

I do like the 3.6 engine a lot, as it definitely has the most linear power output of any fast Subaru I've driven. I'd go so far as to say that it would match the B4 in a drag race, if not beat it. The B4 has more top-end speed for sure, but thanks to that stupid valley of death, it just can't put out continuous power across the rev range. The 3.6 just goes, and goes quickly. Plus, unlike the old 3.0, it can run on regular gas.

The major downside to the 3.6 though is that it just does not sound like a Subaru. At all. Being around so many Subarus for so long, you know what they sound like when they start, when they're idling, when they're WOT, etc. The 3.6 makes none of those same sounds, unfortunately.

Finally... the new Legacy/Outback models are just too damn ugly for me. The Forester, IMO, is now the best-looking car in Subaru's lineup.

I don't think the interiors of the Camry and Accord have ever really been all that great, but I agree that Subaru has done some work on theirs. I still prefer durability and ergonomics over short-term luxury, but I'm only guessing at the longevity of the current model's interior, so maybe it has it all in that area.

I liked the last Forester because it reminded me of my GLs, but now it looks like just another girlie SUV, albeit, the nicest of the bunch.

So, what does the engine sound like? I'd actually prefer not to have the Subaru sound so as to keep it a mystery. Guess I could go to equal length headers, but I don't like them because then it sounds like an I4. All I can find on Youtube is exterior mics of the EZ30 or of a Vans RV7 instal (awesome).

I'd say it sounds like any conventional 6-cylinder would. It doesn't really have a distinctive sound.

Oh, and beatersubi, my friend's working with the hangar to try to get the whole thing cleared out... his goal is 30 JDM cars in one photo.

Sent from my HTC Droid Incredible using Tapatalk

Michael,

Yeah, the exterior looks of the new Legacy just doesn't do anything for me. I don't mind the current Impreza exterior styling, but I hear that it will be getting the Legacy facelift, and in which case will probably turn fugly.

It's sad, despite the improvements in interior finish & mechanical gadgetry

I agree with Michael, sounds like a conventional 6. I still like older Legacys better, but the new car really is nice and is correct for the market they are targeting. Did they set you up with the 5-speed auto or the 6-speed manual?

All USDM 6cyl Subarus are automatic. It has the paddle shifters though, and the engine rev-matches when you downshift.

The fan turned out to be something really simple: one of the contacts in the plug had gotten pushed out of the plug. Pushed it back in the plug, connected it, and on came the fan. No rewiring. Thank God.

While I was messing around with that, I decided to go ahead and get the WRX radiator over with. So it now has an updated WRX radiator. The original 02 WRX radiators didn't come with radiator caps; the expansion tank had the cap. Due to coolant system bleeding issues, a parts bulletin was issued, and the updated radiators came with their own radiator caps and some extra pipes and hoses to reroute the hose feeding the coolant reservoir by the radiator. So my car has one of those updated ones now, as well as the new Subaru blue Super Coolant.

So, in the midst of doing all that, I did as much cleaning as I could and finally took some engine bay pics... I'm surprised no one has requested those yet



Yes, I know... it's missing the Boxer 4 dual-stage twin-turbo engine cover. I was pretty bummed about that. If I ever find one, I'm definitely buying it!

By the way, no one has any right to complain to me about their vacuum hoses and single wastegate solenoid being too complex:


The smaller, primary VF33 turbo on the left (passenger) side:


The larger, secondary VF32 turbo on the right (driver) side:


Something else I noticed while it was on the lift last time (although I don't have a pic of it)... the muffler is dual-stage. There's a secondary pipe coming from the axle-back going into the muffler, with a cable-actuated butterfly valve in it. I can't say I notice either a power or sound increase when I'm getting on it, so not sure how effective it is.

The only thing I need to do at this point is brakes, as it needs pads. Again, from visual observation, WRX pads match. Will update soon.

I've read at least on the earlier H6 engines that had this "butterfly" type valve in the muffler is that they are just spring-loaded and open with exhaust pressure. Chances are you could easily remove it or leave it open fully.

Duh, what am I thinking... lol!

How is it running on 91? or did you have to return ?

Well, don't forget, the United States and Japan rate their gasoline differently. The US rates its gasoline by AKI, while Japan rates it by RON. According to Wikipedia anyway, our 91 AKI rating is equivalent to Japan's 95 RON rating. We have 93 octane fuel here in Florida, so I'm probably putting the equivalent of 97 RON in my car.

And... as much as I despise ethanol, it's probably actually helping my car, and E10 10% ethanol blend is pretty much standard across Florida now - it's VERY hard to find a station that sells 100% gasoline around here.

So far, I've yet to hear so much as a ping or any other audible sounds of detonation, even under WOT. Then again, the ECU may just be pulling timing, meaning it's not making the full 280hp.

I suppose I could get the 100 octane race fuel at the Sunoco station across town, but that's $8 a gallon!